WORKFORCE AND LABOR MARKET INFORMATION (LMI) GRANT
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT FOR HAWAII
PROGRAM YEAR 2008
The following report describes Hawaii’s accomplishments during the July 2008 to June 2009
program year as required by the Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 31-07.
Hawaii received approval to extend (i.e. a no-cost extension) the performance period to
September 2009. Actual and estimated expenditures are expected to have no significant
variance. All six deliverables in PY 2008 have been met and within schedule.
Part A: Accomplishments.
1) Continue to Populate the Workforce Information Database (WIDb) with State and
Local Data.
Hawaii populated and maintained all core tables of the Workforce Information Database
(WIDb) for the areas and time periods required in a timely manner, following the
guidelines issued by the Analyst Resource Center (ARC). By June 2009, the database
was populated with items that went beyond the core requirements such as including
more county and island data when available, providing additional years of data for the
required tables, and populating other non-core tables. We also collected occupational
licensing information, updated the required licensing files (license.dbf and licauth.dbf),
and submitted the data files to the National Crosswalk Service Center for inclusion on
America’s Career InfoNet site in November 2008.
Hawaii maintains Version 2.4 of the WI database and is available online at our Hawaii
Workforce Informer website.
2)
Produce and Disseminate Industry and Occupational Employment Projections.
During PY 2008, employment projections were developed for the 2008 to 2010 period for
the State and the 2006 to 2016 period for the Honolulu MSA. Staff completed short-term
industry and occupational employment projections based on 2008/Q3 for 2010/Q3 using
the methodology, software tools, and guidelines developed by the Projections
Consortium and the Projections Managing Partnership (PC & PMP). Short-term
employment projections were submitted to the PC & PMP for review in June 2009. Longterm industry and occupational projections were developed with calendar year 2006 as
the base year and 2016 as the projected year for Honolulu MSA, also according to the
methodology, software tools, and guidelines issued by PC & PMP.
In addition, statewide long-term industry and occupational projections were revised for
the 2016 period. Employment projections required further revisions after the Hawaii
economy continued to slow with no signs of an early recovery. Visitor and construction
industries continued to experience weaknesses, and state government actions to
address its growing revenue shortfall by curtailing expenditures prompted a downward
revision of the statewide employment projections for the 2006 to 2016 period.
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As required, the statewide short-term employment projections were included into the
Workforce Information Database (WIDb) and made available to the public through our
Hawaii Workforce Informer (HIWI) website at www.hiwi.org. Long-term 2006 to 2016
employment projections for Honolulu MSA and revised state employment projections for
the same period will be available shortly in the WIDb and on HIWI.
Staff had the opportunity to attend training on the selection, use and interpretation of
forecasting models used in developing Short-Term Industry Projections (STIP) in PY
2008. Training was offered by the Projections Workgroup and the Projections Managing
Partnership June 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri.
3) Publish an Annual Economic Analysis Report for the Governor and the state WIB.
In PY 2008, we worked closely with the Hawaii Workforce Development Council (WDC)
in preparing the Hawaii State Comprehensive Workforce Development Plan for 2009 to
2014 (Plan) that also encompassed WDC’s Annual Report to the Governor for 2009.
Staff attended a WDC Planning Forum with multi-stakeholders from both the private and
public sectors to determine goals and priorities for the 2009-2014 planning period that
were later incorporated in the report. We held meetings with WDC to determine the
report’s development, content, and layout. Provided information, tables/charts, and
written analyses on the labor force, employment projections, education and training
requirements, supply/demand data, and wages.
The Plan provides a foundation on developing Hawaii’s workforce, increasing
opportunities for individuals to be trained for higher-paying jobs, and modifying the state
unemployment system to address the needs of claimants and employers. Four
workforce development priorities featured in the report are to:
•
•
•
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Improve the delivery of timely education and training to prepare current and
future workers for projected high-demand occupations.
Focus more attention upgrading the skills of incumbent workers.
Expand the labor pool in the face of anticipated long-term shortages.
Address workforce housing.
The Hawaii State Comprehensive Workforce Development Plan for 2009 to 2014 is
available to the public at http://hawaii.gov/labor/wdc/pdf/CSPWD 2009-2014 and Year 1
Report to Governor.
4) Post Products, Information, and Reports on Internet.
Labor market information produced by our office in PY 2008 were made available on our
HIWI website (www.hiwi.org) for dissemination to our customers, and in particular to
facilitate use by workforce investment partners. E-mail alerts to site subscribers
announced new products, information, and reports available on the website. LMI posted
on the HIWI website consisted of the monthly news releases on local unemployment
rates and non-farm employment counts, employment projections for the state,
occupational employment and wages for the state and counties, annual labor force
updates for Affirmative Action programs, and Quarterly Census of Employment and
Wages (QCEW). Local Employment Dynamics (LED) tools are also accessible on our
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website, including the Census OnTheMap tools that provide detailed maps and reports
showing where people work and where they live for county and rural areas.
Updates for the Workforce Information Database (WIDb) Version 2.4 are accessible
through our Internet delivery system, HIWI. Staff also continued to provide WIDb
information to HireNet Hawaii, an online job-matching system sponsored by our
department at https://www.hirenethawaii.com/default.asp, and maintains a link to that
website on HIWI.
We were involved in the maintenance of the Workforce Informer (WI) system and
participated in Workforce Informer Consortium conference calls with the contractor and
other consortium states regarding issues pertinent to the system’s operations. CIBER,
Inc. acquired new servers that improved the overall performance of the WI system.
Hawaii also contracted with CIBER, Inc. for the annual licensing, hosting and
maintenance of the Hawaii Workforce Informer site.
Web statistics indicate a slight drop in visitor sessions for PY 2008 compared to the
previous program year. Most likely due to the WI system being compromised, and HIWI
being unavailable at times in order to resolve the situation and to prevent it from
reoccurring. Site users were interested in career and occupational information, along
with labor force data, and wage information. Files receiving the most hits included those
with information on unemployment; nursing, social worker careers; occupational wages,
and green jobs.
5) Partner and consult on a Continuing Basis with Workforce Investment Boards and
Key Talent Development Partners and Stakeholder.
Our Research and Statistics (R&S) Office continued to provide information and ongoing
support to the Hawaii Workforce Development Council (WDC) office, Workforce
Investment Boards (WIBs), and One-Stop Centers in PY 2008. Staff attended state WIB
and WDC meetings to be briefed on updates and for guidance on workforce
development policies, priorities, and issues. Our annual LMI Plan was discussed with
Council members to ensure that our participation in providing LMI data supported the
statewide workforce development initiatives. We maintained a close working
relationship with WIB and WDC by responding to requests for LMI data and collaborating
in the preparation of the Comprehensive State Plan for Workforce Development, State of
Hawaii, 2009-2014 and the Hawaii Green Workforce Report. Brief summaries of the
reports are provided in deliverables 3) Publish an Annual Economic Analysis Report for
the Governor and the state WIB and 6) Conduct Special Studies and Economic
Analyses of this annual performance report.
Requests for information on “green jobs” continued throughout PY 2008 from WDC,
state and local WIBs, and agencies involved in energy-related activities. The enactment
of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides funding for
retraining of the workforce for green jobs increased the demand for green workforce
data. Upon request from WDC and the state WIB Planning Committee, our R&S office
conducted preliminary research and analysis on what is “green” in Hawaii with results
published in the Hawaii Green Workforce Report. We were able to define what is a
green workforce, and identify green core sectors, potential green industries, green
occupations, and green job skills. A PowerPoint presentation highlighting our
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preliminary research on Hawaii’s green workforce was launched at a recent statewide
WDC meeting. The report itself will be available shortly on our HIWI website.
In addition, we made available to WDC supply/demand data; occupational wages,
industry and occupational employment projections, and other pertinent information
required in applying for competitive grants for green jobs training as authorized by the
ARRA. An application was submitted for the “State Labor Market Information
Improvement Grants” that requires applicants to demonstrate that projects would be
implemented through strategic partnerships which must include labor market information
and research entities and state workforce investments boards. Project activities would
include the collection, analysis, and dissemination of labor market information to
enhance the labor exchange for careers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy
industries. Another grant application submitted by WDC was the “State Energy Sector
Partnership (SESP) and Training Grants” with training targeted towards careers in the
seven energy efficiency and renewable energy industries under the Green Acts jobs of
the Workforce Investment Act.
HIWI website continued providing local LMI data and support to the local WIBs. The
WIDb drives HIWI, and most of the data is collected at the county level, which replicates
our LWIB geography. LWIBs have access to the most current labor market information
available. Staff also has pages for each county on HIWI for easy one-stop access to
data focused around geographical areas. The Local Employment Dynamics (LED)
information is linked through HIWI, resulting in our continually offering county labor data.
The LED OnTheMap tool on our website provides detailed maps and reports of where
people live and where they work for county and rural areas.
6) Conduct Special Studies and Economic Analyses.
The promise of green jobs has stimulated interest especially during the current economic
downturn in Hawaii as a means of halting workforce losses and providing much needed
growth in the future. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
further fueled this interest by providing funds for retraining the workforce for green jobs.
Our office prepared the Hawaii Green Workforce Report for the Hawaii Workforce
Development Council as a starting point in determining a green workforce, core green
sectors of the Hawaii economy, green industries, green occupations, and the skills
needed to perform green job. The report’s findings are based on research and review of
information from both private and public sectors and adapted to Hawaii’s economic
environment. A major finding is that green jobs are difficult to quantify since there is no
clearly defined standard for counting jobs as green. A better benchmark of green
industries and jobs is needed to identify and track new jobs and skills needed to support
the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. Some highlights of the report
include:
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A green workforce for Hawaii is defined as those:
o
“…Employed in occupations or industries that provide
products and/or services for expanding clean/renewable
energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution, and
conserving water and other natural resources.”
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•
The following green-core sectors were selected for Hawaii:
o Energy Efficiency to reduce and manage our energy demands.
o Clean/Renewable Energy to build sustainable energy for the future.
o Conservation and Pollution Mitigation to recycle and remediate waste.
o Environmentally Friendly Production to improve our products and
processes.
o Education, Training and Support to help develop our Green
Workforce.
•
Skills and training information on green jobs may be categorized as:
o Green Increased Demand Occupations requires basic academic and
workplace readiness skills
o Green Enhanced Skills Occupations requires traditional job-specific
skills, knowledge, and credentials
o Green New and Emerging Occupations needs green job-specific
skills, knowledge, and credentials
Recommendations are also provided in the report to support Hawaii’s efforts in
developing a new green economy and the workforce needed to compete for green jobs.
These are:
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Conduct a survey of business establishments based on the North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS) to obtain information about their
workforce that are considered green. Information will include occupational
employment and wages by the Standard Occupational Code (SOC) system,
and the minimum required training/education and certifications. A survey will
be in support of enhancing labor market information on green industry and
green jobs.
•
Determine the impact of “green practices” on industries and occupations that
do not directly produce green products or services but apply green practices
to daily operations to improve the environment and/or to support
sustainability.
•
Expand green job development by soliciting job orders on the HireNet Hawaii
website and by offering retraining and reemployment services for purposes of
reentering the workforce.
•
Obtain green job openings by extracting jobs (mining) from online job banks
by using keywords and conducting job vacancy surveys.
•
Build partnerships with employers and labor unions since they could also
provide guidance on gaps that exist within education and training systems
that need to be addressed.
•
Conduct focus group sessions with industry representatives for better
knowledge of skills needed.
A PowerPoint presentation highlighting the report is available on our HIWI website at
http://www.hiwi.org/admin/uploadedPublications/1979_Hawaii_Green_Workforce_Report
_slideshow.ppt. The presentation was presented separately to State WIB members and
the Oahu Work Link staff.
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Part B. Customer Consultations
Throughout PY 2008, the R&S Office continued to consult with its customers through emails, phone
calls, and in-person exchanges about the usefulness of products developed and services provided
by our office. The “in-person” encounters involved attending meetings and participating in technical
workgroups, sometimes on a monthly basis, to inform and ensure that future development of
workforce information aimed to satisfy our customers’ needs.
We maintained a viable working relationship with the Workforce Development Council (WDC) and
Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) by responding to requests for data and investigating areas of
concern that Hawaii’s workforce investment system was interested in studying and pursuing for
further action. Our attendance at council meetings and informal contacts with the WDC office
provided guidance and direction that allowed us to work collaboratively on developing appropriate
products to inform state and local customers about the current state of our workforce situation.
Staff produced customized files for users of our data, providing industry and occupational
employment projects, occupational wages by industries, and labor force information for affirmative
action programs.
We conducted LMI presentations that were offered twice to the Hawaii Career Development
Association. The first presentation focused on LMI updates. Later in the year, we were asked to do
another presentation for a professional development session for counselors. Our green jobs flyer
was particularly appreciated at both presentations. Two sessions of LMI were also provided to high
school students that focused on labor market and career information. We were pleased to offer LMI
information to Ex-Offender Employment Specialists at the Federal Corrections Center to help
facilitate re-entry of their clients into Hawaii’s workforce.
Part C. Support for LMI Analysis Tools
The R&S office needs ETA’s continued support for LMI Analysis Tools to produce quality
workforce intelligence. The projects listed below are critical to our delivery of quality labor
market and workforce information for our customers and partners. These tools for LMI Analysis
include:
•
The Hawaii Workforce Informer (HIWI), our version of the Workforce Informer (WI)
Internet system, is the primary delivery system of LMI, and where updates of the
WIDb database are available online. The WI system needs upgrading to newer
technologies for improved information processing and delivery. Additional resources
will be required to support any upgrade of the current WI Internet system. In PY
2008, we contracted with CIBER, Inc. for the annual maintenance and hosting of the
WI Internet system (HIWI) through an open bid process.
•
Estimates Delivery System (EDS) needs continued funding support and technical
support from the Projections Management Partnership (PMP). EDS allows us to
produce county level occupational wages and employment projections. Industry
staffing patterns can be produced from the EDS software and used in the
MicroMatrix system to create occupational projections for the state and counties.
•
Local Employment Dynamics (LED), a Census Bureau product in partnership with
the states, needs continued funding to provide technical support for the product.
LED provides demographic and socio-economic information on the workforce for the
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state and counties. Another Census product is OnTheMap tool, which is part of the
LED product. The Census Bureau and State Partners are in the process of updating
the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create a harmonized national MOU for
the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Program and the Local
Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership that supports it. The new MOU would
provide a collection of consistent terms applicable to all partners and an aligned
expiration date of December 31, 2020. Hawaii’s current LED agreement with the
Census Bureau covers the period July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2015.
•
Community Economic Development (CED) HotReports provides county profiles, with
tables and charts on the workforce, economy, population, income and commuting
patterns. Reports provide local users with readily accessible data for planning and
training purposes. This tool should be expanded to display state and national data
that could be compared with the county reports and more current data should be
made available to users.
•
Longitudinal Tracking System (LTS), although still in the testing and implementation
stage by BLS and selected pilot states including Hawaii, it will definitely assist us in
tracking, comparing and measuring employment and wage outcomes of a broad
range of individuals, including mass layoffs and dislocated workers. LTS would
enable our office to provide more timely information to our customers and partners.
LTS is supported by BLS through the Mass Layoffs Statistics (MLS) program, with
funding from ETA.
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